4 Ways It Can Cost You If You Ignore a Recall on Your Vehicle

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Manufacturer recalls for cars are important to pay attention to because, like other machinery and electric equipment, they can be dangerous if they’re not working as intended, and, in some instances, ignored recalls can also cause legal and financial issues.

A recall for a vehicle could mean a problem with the engine or battery, and these serious issues can lead to a fire or a crash. Operating a motor vehicle on the road already carries a level of risk higher than, say, using a microwave, so you don’t want to compound it by ignoring a notice of recall.

How Ignoring Your Car’s Recall Can Cost You

Ignoring a recall on your vehicle can cost you more than one way. Some examples are legal ramifications, injuries, higher insurance rates and claim denials.

Legal Ramifications and Injuries

While the most substantial would come in the form of possible legal ramifications — should you injure another driver through an accident — you can also end up paying more for fixes that you put off.

Higher Insurance Rates

Next, by not addressing the recall and compromising the long-term safety of your vehicle, you’re likely to be met with higher insurance rates.

Claim Denials

Worse, if you were to get into a collision caused by a manufacturer defect after a recall had been issued that you ignored, you could be denied a claim altogether. Obviously, no one wants to have to pay completely out of pocket — it’s much less costly to bring your vehicle in.

Recalls Are Common

Whether you have ignored a recall or not, you might not realize how common they are. According to the NHTSA, almost 35 million vehicles were recalled in 2023 alone. An article from USA Today reported a number of recent model recalls:

• Over 460,000 2020-2024 Kia Tellurides were at risk for catching fire while being operated or while parked because of a stuck power seat slide knob that could cause the front power seat motor to overheat. 
• Over 8,000 2024 Ford Mustangs were recalled due to improperly secured clutch pressure lines that could make contact with hot exhaust components, resulting in them melting and causing brake fluid to leak. Ultimately, this makes for a loss in drive power, which increases the chance of crashing.
• Toyota recalled over 100,000 2022 and 2023 Toyota Tundras and Lexus LX600s equipped with V35A engines. This was to address engine bearings that could fail due to debris, causing the engine to stall, also leading to a loss of drive power.
• Honda recalled over 114,000 2018-2020 Honda Fits and 2019-2022 HR-Vs due to the rearview camera failing to display an image.

Check for Recalls

You may have received a recall before and ignored it. It may come as a surprise, but statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicate that roughly 30% of vehicles with notices for recall issued are not brought in by the owners. Making matters worse, if the driver experiences no issue and then goes on to sell the car, the risk is supplanted on someone else who may not know about it.

If you have any reason to believe your vehicle was recalled or you are simply being conscientious, you can make use of the NHTSA‘s tool on their website to check for recalls. It recommends checking for open recalls at least twice per year. The general rule of thumb is that manufacturers will inspect and, if necessary, make the repairs, free of charge. This is, of course, a lot better than ignoring a recall and then paying entirely out of pocket for a fix or new vehicle.

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